Hereticide

/ˈhɛrətɪsaɪd/ noun

Definition

The killing or destruction of heretics or heresies; the act of eliminating heretical beliefs or their adherents.

Etymology

From heretic + -cide (from Latin caedere, to kill). Combines the noun heretic with the productive -cide suffix meaning killing or destruction, used to describe religious violence and suppression.

Kelly Says

Hereticide sounds like an abstract concept, but it describes horrifyingly real historical events—Crusades, Inquisitions, and religious wars were literally organized campaigns to kill people for their beliefs.

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